Feature Film "Ulja"

The film “Ulja” is a visually and emotionally powerful story about identity, growing up, and the search for belonging. It takes place in Latvia in the late 1960s. Ulja is a teenage Old Believer whose height is approaching two meters - when her class photo ends up in the hands of basketball coaches, Ulja is taken to Riga to join a famous basketball team. Struggling with her height and identity, she trains hard, but soon realizes that she must make one of the most important choices of her life - hide away or become the best female basketball player in the world.

Synopsis

Teenager Ulja stands out for something unusual - her height is approaching two meters, and living on a remote farmstead, she feels like a stranger in her own family, which worries about whether there is any place in the world for a girl that tall. When a class photo of Ulja accidentally ends up in the hands of basketball coaches, her life is turned upside down: Ulja is taken to Riga and placed on a legendary basketball team.

Between training sessions and competitions, Ulja tries to understand who she is - an athlete, a country girl, or simply a person who wants to live a normal life. Yet both the villagers and the sports world see her only as a “giant,” whose value lies in centimeters. After running back home, Ulja realizes that the real challenge is not basketball, but her identity and the courage to be herself.

Cast:

Kārlis Arnolds Avots, Chulpan Khamatova, Aleksas Kazanavičius, Arturs Krūzkops, Kaspars Dumburs, Alise Dzene, Dārta Cīrule, Madara Viļčuka, Shamil Khamatov

Director: Viesturs Kairišs

Running time: 103 min